TD Bank Rutland protests 10am-noon – We’re on the corner, at the apex of the streets – if you’re looking directly at the stand-alone booth or at the side of the building you may not see us

Rutland City Committee of the Vermont Progressive Party Meeting at noon-1 pm at the Speakeasy Cafe, 67 Center Street in Rutland. All are welcome. We will discuss our priorities and actions/events that we may like to hold in 2018. Contact Glenn Reed at rutvtactive@gmail.com or call 802-287-0980 for more information.

Nonviolence Book Club at 2 pm Northshire Bookstore Manchester – reading chapters 5-8 of Charles Eisenstein’s The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible

SUCCESSES/GOOD NEWS

Our own Fossil Free VSC had a great meeting with the Financial Committee of the Vermont Board of Colleges. The Board agreed to work on a plan for divesting in banks that invest in fossil fuels. Good job everyone!

Action: Contact your Congressmen, asking them to support H108, the safe injection site bill (http://legislature.vermont.gov/). Safe injection sites save lives (150 lives in Vermont so far this year). They connect people to services, including drug treatment. And it’s much cheaper for Vermont taxpayers to provide safe injection sites than it is to pay for the ER to save patients who’ve overdosed. (Talking points provided on last week’s Rights and Democracy Criminal Justice Reform teleconference.)

Action: Express your support for safe injection sites at http://dps.vermont.gov/contact or Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Anderson, Department of Public Safety, 45 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671 or 802-241-5000

Action: “Here are two more ways to make our thoughts about net neutrality known: A) Call the FCC’s customer service number at 888-225-5322. Leave a message with the simply saying you oppose any effort to weaken net neutrality, and B) Step 1: Go to com, Step 2: Click “express” (over to the right), Step 3: Tell the FCC that you support Net Neutrality” (h/t http://roganslist.blogspot.com/)

Action: “From The Boston Globe: “Some of the biggest Internet providers want to make sure that once the Federal Communications Commission votes to deregulate the broadband industry, states won’t be able to set up their own, new regulations. Comcast and Verizon have both asked telecom regulators to make it clear that the FCC’s new policy on Net neutrality would preempt state and local regulations that might read differently. The request marks the industry’s latest step to weaken federal rules that regulate broadband companies like legacy telephone companies.” Let’s contact our state attorneys general to let them know that we do not agree with this federal overreach on states’ rights and that we expect them to respond to this threat with legal action against the FCC.” h/t http://roganslist.blogspot.com/

Action: This is probably going to rankle for some after the recent debacle in Burlington, but here’s another suggestion: “Net Neutrality? What can we do? Let’s read this article from Motherboard: To Save Net Neutrality, We Must Build Our Own Internet “We must end our reliance on big telecom monopolies and build decentralized, affordable, locally owned internet infrastructure…There has never been a better time to start your own internet service provider, leverage the publicly available fiber backbone, or build political support for new, local-government owned networks. Net neutrality as a principle of the federal government will soon be dead, but the protections are wildly popular among the American people and are integral to the internet as we know it. Rather than putting such a core tenet of the internet in the hands of politicians, whose whims and interests change with their donors, net neutrality must be protected by a populist revolution in the ownership of internet infrastructure and networks. In short, we must end our reliance on big telecom monopolies and build decentralized, affordable, locally owned internet infrastructure. The great news is this is currently possible in most parts of the United States.” Let’s keep watch for updates from Motherboard and look for groups near us that may be interested taking on or advocating for similar projects. We can follow Motherboard on Facebook.” h/t http://roganslist.blogspot.com/

7 An alliance of Upper Valley faith groups that believes in universal healthcare is asking “area residents to write down and share their struggles and successes in finding access to health care coverage through Medicare, Medicaid and plans offered in accordance with the Affordable Care Act.” http://www.vnews.com/Seeking-Stories-of-Health-Care-Odysseys-14035758

Action: By Monday, “visit unitedvalleyinterfaithproject.org and click on Stories Project and then on the Share Your Story button” to submit your story.

Action: If you have access to sources who can speak to this, please contact VCJR at @V4CJR or tom@vcjr.org

10 “Coaches who are running tryouts for winter sports at South Burlington High School this week are themselves being coached on how to respond if student athletes decide to “take a knee” during the national anthem before games. As the protests against racial injustice spread from the National Football League to local sporting events, high school and college officials are preparing for trickle-down. The First Amendment protects the protesters, and there should be no effort to suppress them, SBHS principal Patrick Burke and student activities director Michael Jabour wrote in an email Monday to coaches, officials and athletes. They also spelled out when school officials can cry foul: “Fans who do not follow our school’s expectations regarding appropriate conduct will be confronted and may face ejection from our events.”” https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/vermont-schools-prepare-for-more-kneeling-athletes/Content?oid=10683249

Action: Let’s encourage our local school administrators to adopt a similar policy.

Action: Read about the plan http://dec.vermont.gov/air-quality/vw and submit comments to https://anrweb.vt.gov/ANR/VWBMPForm/ or VW Environmental Mitigation Trust, Attn: Deirdra Ritzer, The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation
Air Quality and Climate Division, 1 National Life Drive, Davis 2, Montpelier, VT 05620, or decvwmitigaiton@vermont.gov or by fax (802) 828-1250. “All public comments (verbal and written) will be made available to the public once the BMP is finalized.”

12 The federal tax legislation that passed Friday night/Saturday morning could result in as much as $4.5 million fewer dollars for Vermont to build affordable housing http://digital.vpr.net/post/vogel-tax-reform-and-housing#stream/0 But the good news is that the fight isn’t over. The House and the Senate still have to reconcile their two bills.

Action: Urge your friends and family in red state to contact their Members of Congress.

Action: Contact your Members of Congress urging them to demand that reconciliation of the tax scam be tabled if the Republicans want a budget vote. (And ask your friends and family in blue states to ask the same of their Members of Congress.) (h/t Matthew Chapman)

Action: Adopt a swing district for the 2018 election and flip Congress. You can start with the current race in Alabama between Roy Moore, a pedophile, and Doug Jones, who prosecuted the murderers of the little girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. According to a new poll, Roy Moore is up 5 points on Doug Jones in the race for the Alabama Senate seat. http://thehill.com/campaign-polls/362305-poll-roy-moore-up-5-points-on-dem-opponent Let’s make sure that we’re talking to our friends and family in Alabama about the importance of voting for Doug. And let’s join a campaign to reach out to additional voters like this one through https://postcardstovoters.org/

13 Rights and Democracy is asking Vermonters to sign on their petition urging the “Senate to reject the nomination of Tom Pelham to a vacancy on the Green Mountain Care Board.”

14 “In the first 10 months of the 115th Congress, Republicans have introduced more than 80 bills that attack public lands, weaken environmental safeguards on those lands or turn over control to states and local governments. These attacks come despite the fact that the vast majority of voters across political parties support protecting and maintaining forests, national parks, monuments and other public lands and waters.” Bills are advancing in the House now: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/public-lands-11-29-2017.php Our representatives need to know how we feel about these bills.

16 Earlier this month the House Natural Resources Committee passed a bill, called the “SECURE American Energy Act” (H.R. 4239), that can only be described as an oil industry wish-list. H.R. 4239 would eviscerate one of the core provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the law that for more than 45 years has been the bulwark of conservation for many of our most iconic ocean species. The Protection Act works by placing safeguards on human activities, like offshore oil exploration, that harm whales, dolphins and other marine mammals. Simply put, H.R. 4239 would gut a whole lot of those safeguards. Let’s read more at EcoWatch and sign this petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council to save the MMPA. Let’s also send emails and postcards to our representatives opposing HR4239 and specifying our support for the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

17 In July, the U.S. House of Representatives issued what the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) called a “death warrant” for 90,000 wild horses when it passed the “Stewart Amendment” to a 2018 spending bill that would allow for the destruction of wild horses and burros that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) considers to be surplus. The Senate has yet to weigh in on the subject, but if it concurs, the amendment could lead to the killing of more than 90,000 wild horses on the range and in holding facilities. AWHC is calling on Congress to reject the Stewart amendment in favor of appropriations language that would require the BLM to use non-lethal birth control to manage America’s wild herds, as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. The Senate is expected to release its 2018 Interior Appropriations bill later this month. We can read the full story at EcoWatch. Let’s contact our Senators via email, postcard and their web contact forms to let them know we support non-lethal birth control to manage the wild herds, not slaughter.

20 From the Alt National Park Service: South Dakota is looking into revoking the Keystone pipeline permit after last week’s 210,000+ gallon spill. This is a relatively new pipeline and has already experienced three major leaks one just on the border with North Dakota and two in South Dakota in less than a 10 year period. Please call South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) member Gary Hanson and let him know you support revoking the Keystone pipeline permit because the operator violated its license by promising state-of-the-art pipeline construction. This promise was broken based on the continuous leaks/spills occurring in a short period of time. Please call and leave a voicemail at (605) 773-3201. The South Dakota PUC voicemail is now full. Please email the three commissioners at kristie.fiegen@state.sd.us, gary.hanson@state.sd.us, and chris.nelson@state.sd.us.

22 From one of our own currently helping in Puerto Rico: The most needed donations from individuals are FOOD such as rice, canned beans, canned tuna, canned veggies and canned fruit. The only food that FEMA sends are snacks, such as Pringles, granola bars and juice boxes. It is up to the municipalities themselves to team up with non-profits or individual donors to supplement the snacks with REAL, substantial food. They know this will not be handed out forever, but it is still critical for survival at this point in time. To send donations of food to this particular group of people to pass out on your behalf, mail them in a box to: Escuela Superior Especializada Vocacional Agricola de Corozal, Pablo David Burgos Marrero, Barrio Abras Sector Mavilla, Corozal, Puerto Rico, 00783

25 Donald Trump has nominated Big Pharma executive Alex Azar to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. Azar repeatedly raised the price of life-saving medicines, and his deep ties to an industry he would be charged with regulating make him an unacceptable choice. http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-hhs-nominee-alex-azar-history-with-drug-pricing-at-lilly-2017-11 Let’s contact our senators and let them know we want them to hold Azar to the high standard they should have held Tom Price to and block his confirmation.

27 While Congressional Republicans rush to cut taxes for the wealthy and raise them on the middle class, they continue to fail almost nine million children and pregnant women who count on CHIP for their health care coverage. It’s been months since funding expired, and still no action on extending it. Even conservatives like Texas Governor Greg Abbott are pushing for Congress to release more money (http://www.ktsa.com/governor-requesting-funds-chip/). If we’ve already contacted our own reps recently to ask for action on CHIP, let’s contact our state governors and ask them to reach out to our congressional delegations themselves to keep these state-run programs in place and keep kids healthy.

28 Schumer cited the rising popularity of home genetic kits and ancestry services, such as Ancestry, 23andMe and MyHeritage, and said some of their terms-of-service agreements weren’t clear on just what companies could do with your genetic information. Here’s what many consumers don’t realize, that their sensitive information can end up in the hands of unknown third-party companies,” he said. “There are no prohibitions, and many companies say that they can still sell your information to other companies.” The senator said he was calling on the Federal Trade Commission to “take a serious look at this relatively new kind of service and ensure that these companies can have clear, fair privacy policies.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amp/senator-calls-more-scrutiny-home-dna-test-industry-n824031. Many of us use these services for searching out family connections for genealogy, and adoptees searching for bio families. We all deserve to have rights over our own DNA. Let’s support this action and thank Senator Schumer.

30 The longest lasting effect of any presidency is the appointment of federal judges and Trump is filling the federal courts with ideologues, many of whom are unqualified for the bench. Because federal judges have life tenure, Trump has the ability to shape the federal courts for decades to come and many of his picks are deeply disturbing. There were more than 100 vacancies when Trump assumed office, more than twice the number when President Barack Obama was inaugurated. This is because Republicans had refused to confirm Obama’s nominees during his last two years in office. An additional 60 vacancies have opened in the last 10 months. It is estimated that even if he serves only one term, Trump will have selected about 30 percent of the federal judges in the country. Let’s read more at The Sacramento Bee. Let’s continue to contact our own Senators about unqualified nominees and we can also contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

31 Trump’s judicial nominee for Middle District of Alabama, Brett Talley, is beyond unqualified. He has never tried a case and has only practiced law for three years, was deemed “unqualified” by the American Bar Association, did not disclose of conflicts of interest, and although he has pledged his financial and political support for the NRA, he would not commit to recusing himself from any potential gun regulation cases http://bit.ly/2z0c130 Let’s contact our senators and make sure that they are taking these confirmation votes seriously, and that they oppose such an obviously poor choice for judicial nominee. We can also use Sierra Rise’s action tool to send a message or tweet to our senators: http://bit.ly/2nggqcu

32 “Donald Trump has started filling the ranks of the federal judiciary, and a single pattern has emerged: Few women. Few candidates of color. Ninety-one percent of Trump’s nominees are white, and 81 percent are male, according to an analysis by the Associated Press. But don’t think of this as a partisan issue. Our last Republican president, George W. Bush, went out of his way to identify minority candidates. Why? Bush recognized that a judiciary that more closely reflects the faces of the population tends to display a broader range of viewpoints. A diverse bench engenders more confidence than a uniformly whitewashed one.” http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Whitewashed-courts-12393461.php We must pay attention to both the state and federal appointments to our courts and let our Reps know that our judges should reflect the diversity of our country and the districts.

34 While current law specifies work-related breastfeeding practices, the wording is such that it includes only hourly workers. Senator Merkley and Representative Maloney have introduced the Support Working Moms Act, which would amend the Fair Labor Act to include break time for nursing mothers who are salaried executive, administrative, and professional employees, including teachers. This legislation would be essential for health policy and mothers in the workplace http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/swma Let’s call our MoC and ask that they support S. 2122/H.R. 3255. We can also use WeTweet’s tool to send a message on Twitter: http://www.wetweet.org/partners/usbreastfeeding/

36 “Conyers, 88, who has stepped down as the ranking Dem on the House Judiciary Committee while during the House Ethics Committee, settled a sexual harassment allegation brought by a former staffer, leaving her on the payroll as a temporary employee and paying out just under $30,000. But members of Congress have said that the “due process” system is outdated and biased toward insulating the lawmaker from suffering penalties for misbehavior. “The whole system needs to have a comprehensive shift,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) said on ABC’s “This Week.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/11/26/lawmakers-call-for-swift-consequences-in-harassment-cases-but-are-divided-over-calls-for-resignation/?utm_term=.02b7177111c8 Democrat or republican, this cannot be tolerated. Our tax dollars have been paid to silence the victims and protect the perpetrators, all while we have children starving in American. Let’s call on our Reps to protect the staffers and put better processes and protections in place.

VOTING/ELECTIONS

37 Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R) said on Monday that he did not vote for Republican nominee Roy Moore in the state’s Senate special election. “No, no, no, I voted absentee. I didn’t vote for him. I voted for a distinguished Republican write-in,” Shelby told reporters when asked if he would vote for Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. “Well, it’s not a good situation. I wish we had another candidate.” Shelby, like most GOP senators, endorsed Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in the primary. Let’s read the full article at The Hill. We Rogan’s listers always appreciate when our Republican senators do the right thing. Let’s send “thank yous” to Senator Shelby for voting for someone other than accused pedophile Roy Moore. Senator Richard Shelby, 2005 University Blvd Ste 2100, Tuscaloosa AL 35401 or we can use his website contact form.

38 Since 2004, HeadCount has registered 500,000 voters. Headcount is a giant team effort between musicians, concert promoters, and volunteers. They have street teams in most major cities, and affiliations with over 100 touring musicians including Dave Matthews Band, JAY-Z, Wilco, Phish, and the Dixie Chicks. HeadCount stages voter registration drives at concerts and run programs that translate the power of music into real action. Let’s check out HeadCount.org to find out more. We can also follow HeadCount’s efforts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

IMMIGRATION

39 Representative Mia Love (R-UT) promised a “full-court press” on Trump to not expel nearly 60,000 Haitians who have lived in the U.S. under provisional legal residency for more than seven years. Love called the administration’s announcement that it will not renew the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that has allowed Haitians displaced by the 2010 earthquake to live in this country a “bad decision.” Love’s parents emigrated from Haiti in 1973 during a time of political repression. Love was born in Brooklyn, New York, two years later. We can read more at Deseret News. Let’s send notes of support to Rep. Mia Love, 9067 S 1300 West, Ste 101, West Jordan UT 84088-5582. We can also contact our own MoC’s to tell them to join Rep. Love in calling on the administration to renew the TPS.

40 Time is running out for DACA recipients, as Congress fails to pass any meaningful legislation to protect DREAMers http://politi.co/2jLpc0T While it is important to keep calling our MoC, we must also make sure that we are showing up in person to add to the pressure to pass a clean DREAM Act. Our Dream, a collaborative campaign focused on passing the DREAM Act, is asking that we sign up to host sit-ins at our MoC offices on December 4th and 5th. Let’s sign up and stand up for our DREAMers https://actionnetwork.org/forms/fight-for-our-dream

HATE SPEECH

41 On Wednesday morning, Trump re-tweeted hateful anti-Muslim videos first posted by the British ultranationalist Jayda Fransen of the Britain First party. Trump was roundly condemned for doing so by British Prime Minister Theresa May, who said, “Britain First seeks to divide communities by their use of hateful narratives that peddle lies and stoke tensions. They cause anxiety to law-abiding people.” Parliament member David Lammy (Labour Party) said, “The President of the United States is promoting a fascist, racist, extremist hate group whose leaders have been arrested and convicted.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/us/politics/trump-anti-muslim-videos-jayda-fransen.html Let’s: A) Tell Twitter’s Board of Directors that it’s time to shut down Trump’s Twitter account because it is being used to spread the hatred and scapegoating of Muslims. https://investor.twitterinc.com/contactboard.cfm, and B) Tell Secretary of State Rex Tillerson it is his job to stop Trump’s Twitter fingers from wreaking havoc on American diplomacy. https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform , or write Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, US Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520, or call 202-647-6575 (Office of Public Engagement).

42 On Monday, during a conversation with Navajo military veterans, Trump offended all of us when he used the name “Pocahontas” as a slur. To make matters worse, Trump chose to hold this conversation in front of a portrait of Andrew Jackson, who was responsible for the Trail of Tears, which resulted in a tremendous loss of life and property for the Cherokee people. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/361990-trump-calls-warren-pocahontas-at-event-honoring-native-american Let’s show our support for Native Americans by looking into the good work being done by the American Indian College Fund (http://collegefund.org/) and see what we can to help out. Let’s also send the Navajo Code Talkers Association our respect, thanks, and apologies at Navajo Code Talkers Association, Navajo Code Talkers Foundation, Inc., PO Box 1266, Window Rock, AZ 86515 / Tel: 928-688-5202 / Fax: 928-688-5204 / website: www.navajocodetalkers.org (For viewing: Navajo Code Talker Explains Role in WWII: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciFv_ONffdw)

44 The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has launched a new tool called the SPLC Hate Tracker. This tool identifies and monitors trending topics among a network of far-right Twitter accounts in near-real time. Based on more than 1,000 accounts actively monitored by the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, it creates interactive graphics to better understand the topics and images captivating the radical right. These accounts represent a range of extremists – from the conspiratorial fringes of mainstream conservatism to outright white supremacists – who regularly use Twitter as a tool to spread their propaganda. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these users also participate in many conversations and topics that are popular among more “mainstream” communities. The data set goes back to August 15, 2016 and is updated every 30 minutes. Let’s take a moment to explore this new tool and share it with our family and friends.

47 For the first time since June, a Russian fighter has flown near a US military jet in an “unsafe” manner. The “Russian fighter flew within 50 feet of a U.S. Navy reconnaissance jet over the Black Sea with full afterburners on, causing violent turbulence that knocked the American plane into a 15-degree roll.” http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russian-fighter-intercept-us-recon-plane-deemed-unsafe-51427970 Let’s ask our MoC what they’re doing to ensure that our military is as safe as possible in their interactions with the Russian military.

JOURNALISM

48 As we have learned from watered-down language in the media in relation to neo-nazis (using terms like “alt-right” instead), the words we use can have a significant effect on the public perception on a given issue, including creating a sense of normalcy where something is far from normal http://bit.ly/2i6h86V With this in mind, GLAAD is launching the “Drop the F Word” campaign to ensure that as journalists cover the court proceedings in the Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case, that they use the term “religious exemptions” instead of “religious freedom” to accurately describe the issue. We can read more about the campaign and add our names to the list of people who promise to hold the media accountable for its news coverage here: https://www.glaad.org/DropTheFWord

49 The trial for the Inauguration Day protesters has begun, with medics, journalists, and legal observers being pressed with felony charges http://bit.ly/2zKOzqx The J20 (January 20th) defendants could face six decades in prison, some for doing so much as attending or witnessing a protest. To help spread the word about this case, and to support the defendants, let’s visit the Defend J20 Resistance website where they have primers, flyers, legal documents, and a link to the legal defense fund: http://defendj20resistance.org/ We can also send a “thank you” to Black Lives Matter, D.C. chapter, for their statement of solidarity (contact information in the link) http://bit.ly/2zMiZZI

54 From Postcards from Kate: The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues and produces reports and cost estimates for proposed legislation. CBO is nonpartisan and a vital part of our checks and balances system. Most recently, CBO released the analysis of the GOP Senate tax bill, finding that it’s bad for the poor, raises taxes on the middle class and gives substantial tax breaks to millionaires and those earning $100K+ (big surprise). In addition, the bill would add $1.4 trillion to the national debt and make health insurance premiums rise, causing millions of Americans to lose health insurance. Read more here. Let’s thank the folks at CBO for bringing the realities of this bill and many others for the last 42 years to light! Address: US Congressional Budget Office, 441 D Street SW, Washington, DC 20515

55 Making financial donations can sometimes be confusing. Let’s check out Charity Navigator to get the inside look on what and how charities do with the funds given to them. The details and the rating system are helpful: https://www.charitynavigator.org/

56 Organizing for Action and Swing Left are continuing their series of webinars on how to effectively communicate and hold meaningful conversations. This is especially timely as we are in the midst of the holiday season, visiting friends and relatives who may hold views very different from our own. Let’s register for this series and learn how we can productively communicate http://bit.ly/2hy5FQK

Trump retweeted anti-Muslim videos—one already debunked, the others dubious in their origin—posted in the UK by Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First, a virulently racist, far right party. She was delighted, claiming “I’m facing prison for criticising Islam. Britain is now Sharia compliant . . . . “; PM Theresa May was genteelly condemnatory, saying “Britain First seeks to divide communities by their use of hateful narratives that peddle lies and stoke tensions.”; Labor ministers were furious, calling for a cancellation of Trump’s upcoming state visit. But Trump, when asked in 2015 about his propensity for retweeting, was crystal clear: he said that he considered retweets endorsements: “You know, I retweet, I retweet for a reason”: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/29/trump-account-retweets-anti-muslim-videos-of-british-far-right-leader MPower Change and Linda Sarsour have launched a petition to be delivered to Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO, demanding that Twitter close Trump’s account: https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-enabling-trumps

For the hunters and anglers among us who support conservation: One of the best tools to improve important habitat for big game species, like elk and mule deer, is in danger of being weakened. In 2015, Western sportsmen and women joined a grassroots effort to help develop plans to improve sage-grouse habitat, for the bird and the herd. Now the Department of Interior wants to undo these plans. Hunters and anglers understand that the connection between the health of big game species and the sage-grouse are inextricable. There has been too much work done to allow the Department of Interior to send the West backwards. Be heard for the bird! Hunters understand that elk, mule deer and pronghorn herds will benefit from these conservation plans. Speak up to keep these plans on track, edit and add your comment before December 1st here: https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2454 Since 1936, the NWF has been at the forefront on issues concerning hunters and anglers, protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat for all species. Conservation is non-partisan.

It is hard to believe that Arctic drilling is part of a tax bill, but it is. “Big Oil has been fighting to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for decades, and every step of the way the American people have stood up and said NO. “ It is our turn to say “NO”: https://petitions.signforgood.com/StopArcticDrilling/